Doukas by Demetra Georgiou

Chapter 25

 

The first thing I notice when I come to is that it’s very cold. I groggily open my eyes, and I don’t recognize my surroundings. I’m lying on the dirt outside what I assume to be a warehouse. Its tin roof creaks ominously in the wind while the whole place reeks of burnt oil. Stacks of destroyed cars with vehicles missing doors or windows surround me, and I can barely make out the outline of the woods.

As the mist disperses from my hazy mind, everything comes back. The club, Harmonia’s carefree laughter…Doukas’s words.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

I whip my head towards the direction of Fanaris’s voice and see him sitting on a bench, rolling a cigarette.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I demand, and the vehemence of my tone intensifies the pounding in my head.

“Patience, Ria. In a few hours, you’ll be free.”

Makis lights his cigarette and takes a generous drag, his eyes never once leaving me.

“What will change then?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“Justice. I’ll finally get what I deserve.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “All this is about my taverna?”

He snorts. “Hardly. Thank you for mentioning it, though. You’ll sign the papers in the morning.”

“I thought the Royals told you to—”

“Don’t you fucking talk to me about the Royals. What good are they if I don’t have them on my side?” he bursts out.

For the first time, I note that he seems off. His hair is unruly, and his eyes widen every time he sniffs. I wouldn’t put it past him to be high. “They didn’t respect that I’m their aunt’s godson and dared to demand I give the Lords fifteen percent to compensate for the damages I caused in the taverna. For that shitty place!” he screams, resembling a child throwing a tantrum for not getting his way.

“But I digress. I’ll deal with them in good time. Look around you, Ria. Do you know where we are?”

I shake my head. I want to tell him that my only concern is that my butt has fallen asleep, but I keep my mouth shut.

“This is my humble abode. A place that only my most trusted people know about. Even the Royals will think twice before entering this territory. You see, we might have peace, but some people wouldn’t shed a tear if the Royals were…upturned. Right now, one of the major obstacles is the Lords, but soon they won’t be an issue.”

I don’t want to listen to him anymore. Not when I’m about to faint or get sick. “Doukas won’t come, Makis.”

“Yes, I was told about your little club scene. You can’t be so daft, Ria, to believe that he’ll stay idle. Enough talk. It’s not like you won’t have a front-row seat at tomorrow’s show. But first,” he says as he stands up and comes near me.

Without warning or reason, he backhands me so hard that my head hits the wall behind me. Grabbing my throat, he lifts me, and I scramble, trying to get some air.

“Please,” I croak, struggling to shake off his stranglehold.

“Do you have any idea how much time I’ve lost because of you?”

Fanaris throws me on the ground and kicks me in the ribs and legs repeatedly. I bring my hands to my stomach, but his blows hurt even more. Something warm and thick trickles down my head, and I know it’s blood.

It’s hard to know how long this is going on because it stops as suddenly as it started while I’m drifting in and out of consciousness.

“If you’d kept your legs closed, we wouldn’t have come to this,” he says when he’s had enough.

I sit up, and I lean to the side, emptying the contents of my stomach. When I’m finished, I discover I’m alone. Moving away from my vomit, I try to take stock of my injuries, but everything hurts.

Something falls on my hand, and only now I register that it’s drizzling. My mind goes to Doukas and everything that went down tonight. I wish I could see him one last time before everything ends, but I fear I won’t get the chance.

If Fanaris doesn’t care about the Royals, then there’s not much hope for me.

A door on the side opens, and I’m momentarily blinded by a light from inside the building. A woman steps out of the warehouse and comes towards me, her heels echo above the ringing of my ears.

“I never thought you’d stoop so low,” I spit at my former best friend.

“I’m doing this for you, Ria, and the man I love. The moment you sign over the taverna to Mr. Fanaris, you’ll be free to go. I brought you a blanket and some water,” Veta says, nodding at the items in her hands.

“You can’t be that stupid, can you? The moment I sign over my taverna, I’m dead.”

“No, Thrasos assured me that—”

“Shut up!” I screech, and my sore body protests from the vehemence of my voice. “Just shut up. You set about ruining my life because of a bully like your boyfriend? You're pathetic.”

Veta lowers her eyes for a moment, and I know I’ve hit a nerve, but she recovers quickly and turns to two men I hadn’t noticed. One of them with long greasy hair comes over and grabs me by the hair, lifting me up. Pain doesn’t register anymore, but I do feel the cold metal of the collar around my neck.

“At least I’m not the one lying on the dirt, fastened to the wall like a dog.”

I test my restraints. They seem unbreakable, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to bow my head and show defeat. Thankfully, as the light drizzle progresses into rain, Veta and her new friends retreat to the warehouse.

Raindrops fall around me as I try to find a spot that will keep me dry. The cold pierces through my skin, and my ruined coat does little to keep me warm. In the moments I drift in and out of consciousness, I can hear Doukas.

 

“My Ria,” his velvety voice comes to me again, and I push through the pain to smile at his handsome face.

“Doukas,” I whisper, and a sob escapes from within me. “You have to go. He’ll kill you.”

He kneels in front of me but doesn’t touch me. “I’ve told you already, my love, not even death, has the power to separate us,” he says with a smile. “Look,” he says, pointing to my right, and I follow the direction of his hand.

Two little boys and a girl are sitting on the floor, playing. They seem so happy.

“That’s how I know we’ll be all right. Someday, our son will be playing with his cousins in our new house.”

“A boy?” I ask as I turn to him.

“A child of our own, my Ria.”

“I’m afraid, Doukas.”

“My heart was seeking its other half for a long time. We were apart but not separated. Please, don’t give up. Not now that we’re finally together,” he says, and a tear rolls down his cheek.

I lift my hand to touch his face, but he vanishes before my eyes.

 

Thunder claps close by, lighting up the sky, and for long seconds, I can see how alone I am, surrounded by shells of ruined cars.